Jetty Creek Watershed Acquisition Community Engagement Session – Sept. 30th
Funding Opportunity through EPA Community Change Grant
Jetty Creek Watershed Acquisition Effort – Background:
The City of Rockaway Beach (CORB)’s current primary water supply comes from Jetty Creek, a stream which originates within a 1,300-acre forested watershed located three miles north of CORB. The watershed itself is nearly 100% forested, and currently owned and managed by two different companies.
This past year CORB has identified a goal of protecting the Jetty Creek Watershed through acquisition, easement, or adjusted forest management through conversation with current landowners. Given the complexity of this effort, and the numerous moving parts needed to support the continued delivery of high-quality drinking water to the residents and visitors of CORB, a stakeholder map has been developed to help CORB City Council, and interested community members understand the broader effort. The varying efforts, committees, and stakeholder groups include: 1. The development of a Drinking Water Protection plan. 2. The Jetty Creek Working Group. 3. Neighboring and regional area landowners. 4. State and federal agency representatives. 5. The creation of a Forest Stewardship Plan. 6. Parties to support the any formal acquisition effort.
Community Need: Participation from the Rockaway Beach Community is vital in ensuring this effort is in line with the goals of the Rockaway Beach Community.
Community participation during a scheduled Community Engagement Session on September 30th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm will help the City and Sustainable Northwest identify priority items needed for this application.
- Identify what the community’s challenges have been, as it pertains to its water supply in the recent past.
- Help o
utline a vision for the watershed and water supply moving forward. - Provide an opportunity for community members to identify how changes in the Jetty Creek Watershed will have positive benefits to the Community as a whole.
The EPA Community Change Grant is a funding opportunity available for Communities and Community Based Partnerships to receive support in efforts able to reduce the impact of pollution and introduce climate resilient projects to communities. Sustainable Northwest is hoping to work with the City or Rockaway Beach to develop an application to support the acquisition of the full Jetty Creek Watershed. Beyond acquisition, this funding proposal can establish a baseline management structure of the property to establish a forest structure able to provide high-quality drinking water to the City of Rockaway Beach, customers of the Rockaway Beach Water District, and visitors and businesses reliant on a sustainable supply of water from the City.
The current funding opportunity has the potential to provide funding for the acquisition of the full Jetty Creek Watershed[1], or additional acreage outside of the Jetty Creek Watershed, to be utilized for identified community priorities, which has not been realistic previously. Community engagement in this process is vital to ensure the application is aligned with the goals of the Rockaway Beach Community.
Based on City led strategic planning and initial feedback regarding the City’s Water supply and the Jetty Creek Watershed, there is clear interest from the Rockaway Beach Community that owning the Jetty Creek Watershed is a priority. Bringing together a robust conversation from community members regarding the Jetty Creek Watershed and adjacent forestland allow for a succinct application to the EPA program to be developed.
For more Information:
https://corb.us/jetty-creek-watershed-acquisition-effort/
https://corb.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sustainable-Northwest.pdf
[1] Acquiring the full watershed requires a commitment from both landowners within the Jetty Creek Watershed. Currently only one landowner has expressed a firm willingness to sell a portion of the Jetty Creek Watershed.
